Uplifting our local communities
The University of Liverpool is a place-based institution that uplifts the surrounding communities.
The presence and activity of the University has a profound social impact on the residents of the Liverpool City Region. This case study takes a closer look at those activities and examines the impact of the University's role as a venue of informal education, a host for public events and a provider of priceless support services.
Services
Liverpool Law Clinic
The University’s Law Clinic, established in 2007, offers free legal advice and representation to Liverpool residents who cannot afford it. Staffed by six solicitors specialising in immigration, family, and Special Educational Needs (SEN), the clinic also involves law students in live client cases.
Special Education Needs judicial review
This initiative helps families of children with SEN access justice when they cannot enforce their legal rights. Students, under supervision, conduct client interviews, legal research, and draft letters of claim. These letters often lead to quicker resolutions compared to the lengthy Tribunal appeals or complaints processes.
The project’s importance is underscored by widespread non-compliance with SEN laws. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman reported high fault rates in education-related complaints (LGO, 2022-23). Many families cannot access legal aid due to eligibility criteria, and even those who qualify may struggle to find a solicitor due to a shortage of legal aid contracts.
Since March 2023, the project has achieved various successes, including securing school transport, preventing school terminations, and obtaining funding for special school placements. It was highly commended at the Attorney General National Pro Bono Awards in May 2024.
Dental care
Merseyside residents are eligible for high-quality, free dental treatment, provided by University of Liverpool Students under the supervision of staff as part of the University’s dental clinic.
In 2023-2024 provided care to 6,709 patients over the course of approximately 20,000 appointments. This is around 100 patients per day with around 500 appointments in a single week.
Informal education
Pint of Science Festival
The University is a key organiser of the annual Pint of Science festival. Pint of Science is a global festival celebrated in cities worldwide, providing a unique platform to share the latest issues being tackled and questions being answered in labs and universities, in an interesting and accessible way. The Pint of Science Festival runs over 3 days in Liverpool pubs, and the events regularly draw over 400 attendees, creating an excellent opportunity for researchers to connect with the community.
Ness Gardens
The Ness Botanic Gardens, located on the Wirral Peninsula, were established in 1898 and donated to the University in 1948. Covering 64 acres, it includes the National Collections of Sorbus and Betula.
The gardens serve as both a research resource and a public educational venue. They host a learning and engagement programme, offering school visits, family activities, outreach sessions, and adult learning topics like Birdsong and Forest Bathing. In 2023/24, this programme engaged over 6,000 people, including 2,857 pupils from 40 schools.
Research at Ness Gardens involves academics from the University of Liverpool, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and Liverpool John Moores University. Notably, the Experimental Archaeology Research and Teaching Hub (EARTH), established by Dr Peter Homell in 2022, allows the public to engage in hands-on learning about early human methods for controlling fire and making clay pots.
Community events - Leahurst campus
The University of Liverpool’s Leahurst veterinary campus is located in rural Cheshire. On the campus are clinical and education facilities such as a Small Animal Hospital and an Equine Hospital, as well as on-site farm animals.
In 2024, the campus hosted its first Leahurst VetFest Open House. Open to all University staff, students and the general public, the day gave local people to explore the amazing world of veterinary medicine, get a glimpse behind the scenes at Leahurst and meet some of the animals.